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Insiders have known for some time that the level of play in men's hockey in the MIAC has been growing by leaps and bounds. As of Thursday morning, a lot more people know about it as well. The Pipers -- and specifically Brian Arrigoni and Troy Hesketh -- are prominently mentioned in a long piece written by Dennis Brackin about the general overall improvement of the league's caliber of play. It ran on the front page of today's Star Tribune newspaper.

In the article, Brackin noted that Arrigoni, who was an All-American last year and Hesketh, a third round draft pick of Edmonton a few years ago, are examples of the higher level of play in the MIAC in general. The Piper pair and several MIAC coaches talk about it at length. The article also discusses the unique issues MIAC hockey deals with.

The Pipers, the defending conference champs, take a 3-3 league standard into Friday night's return to MIAC action at St. Thomas. Game time at St. Thomas' rink, which is located across the street from St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, is 7:00 p.m. The teams will also meet Saturday night at the Vadnais Heights Sports Complex. That game also starts at 7:00 p.m.